Legislature(2011 - 2012)CAPITOL 106
03/11/2011 09:00 AM House EDUCATION
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| HB49 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| *+ | HB 49 | TELECONFERENCED | |
HB 49-EARLY CHILDHOOD ED: PARENTS AS TEACHERS
9:06:14 AM
CHAIR DICK announced that the only order of business would be
HOUSE BILL NO. 49, "An Act establishing in the Department of
Education and Early Development a voluntary parent and early
childhood education program for pre-elementary aged children."
9:06:38 AM
REPRESENTATIVE CHRIS TUCK, Alaska State Legislature, paraphrased
from the Sponsor Statement:
Parents are a child's first and most important
teachers. Research has clearly shown that parental
involvement in a child's early years are critical for
development and lay the foundation for success in
school and in life.
He directed attention to an earlier presentation which had
reflected the importance of pre-K, and he highlighted that it
improved school readiness and achievement, boosted graduation
rates, reduced crime and the cost of social services, provided
economic opportunities for families, and kept Alaska and the
United States competitive.
REPRESENTATIVE TUCK continued his paraphrase from the Sponsor
Statement: [original punctuation provided]
HB 49, the Alaska Parents as Teachers Act, will
empower parents with knowledge and resources to help
their children develop into successful students with
stronger scholastic achievements.
The bill allows the Department of Education and Early
Childhood Development to offer the successful Parents
as Teachers parental involvement, early childhood
learning system as an education option for families
with children ages 0-5.
HB 49:
• Requires evidence-based education, parental
involvement, and adherence to accepted best practices
and early learning guidelines;
• Directs the Department of Education and Early
Development to develop local partnerships to implement
Parents as Teachers; and
• Includes a 3-year sunset clause.
Parents as Teachers is completely voluntary for
families. It succeeds by engaging families and
communities in understanding the way children's brains
develop and how to create a learning environment for
the child. Because Parents as Teachers is about how
children learn, not what they learn, it fits with any
educational philosophy and mode, from religious,
charter and public school, to home schooling or other
education types. Parents as Teachers helps build a
community of learning, and assists in early detecting
of impairments.
Parents as Teachers is the most cost-effective early
education model available in Alaska. Further, it
enhances local control and involvement, with
partnerships ensuring cooperation towards education
goals.
Funds invested in early education pay dividends in the
long run. Research shows that children who receive
early education earn more money as adults than their
peers lacking early education. Children who receive
early education also enter the job market in much
larger numbers, obtain college education in higher
numbers, and remain off public assistance and out of
jail in greater numbers.
Alaska's children are our future workforce, and the
key to our state's prosperity. Alaska's plumbers,
doctors and teachers of tomorrow are the youth in our
neighborhoods today. Helping parents boost the skills
and natural ingenuity of their children will point the
way to Alaska's growth.
Parents as Teachers enjoys statewide support and will
help grow stronger Alaskan families, better students
and safer communities. It is a proven successful
solution for our children and our state's future.
9:10:41 AM
NICKI SHELTON, National Trainer, Parents as Teachers (PAT),
stated that the vision of PAT was that "all children will learn,
grow and develop to realize their full potential." She agreed
with a statement by Representative Tuck that parents were the
first and best teachers of their children. Referring to the
PowerPoint "Parents as Teachers," [Included in members' packets]
she declared the PAT mission to be: "to provide the
information, support and encouragement parents need to help
their children develop optimally during the crucial early years
of life." She listed the PAT goals: increase parent knowledge
of early childhood development and improve parenting practices;
provide early detection of developmental delays and health
issues; prevent child abuse and neglect; and increase children's
school readiness and school success. She noted that PAT
participation allowed parents to take control of the child's
education from birth on into elementary school.
9:14:04 AM
MS. SHELTON directed attention to the four mandatory components
of PAT: personal visits, when the educator meets with the
family to focus on child development and parental/child
interaction; screening to identify any factors which could
affect development or hinder learning, and regular visits to
allow developmental concerns to be identified/explained; group
social connections to link parents with children of similar age
and may include activities, presentations, community events, and
informal discussions; and, resource referrals to link families
with services outside of the scope of PAT, such as a food bank
or Denali Kid Care. She confirmed that PAT services were
provided by local parent educators, who were trained in early
childhood education and the PAT curriculum.
MS. SHELTON announced that personal visits were the heart of
PAT: each family decided who would participate in a visit and
where the visit would take place; visits were individualized for
each family; and visits were adapted to reflect the cultures of
each family and each community. She reported that the materials
used during personal visits were simple items for age
appropriate interaction with a child, often common household
items, as well as books that were reflective of the cultural and
geographic surroundings. She described a personal PAT visit as
a dynamic time that emphasized parent-child interaction,
development-centered parenting, and family well-being. She
explained that various strategies were discussed with the
parents, who then decide on which action to follow. She
provided an example of a basic pre-school game for parent
interaction with their child. She declared that literacy was a
component of every personal visit and the parent educator
brought books to share and to stimulate extended play based upon
the book. She discussed group connections in various formats of
children and parents together as another popular part of the
program.
9:34:36 AM
NORMAN ECK, PhD, Superintendent, Northwest Arctic Borough School
District, read from a prepared statement: [original punctuation
provided]
Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to testify
this morning. For the record, I am Dr. Norman Eck,
Superintendent of the Northwest Arctic Borough School
District. I have been employed as an administrator in
this District for 13 years and this is my 6th year as
superintendent. Two years ago I was the Alaska State
Superintendent of the Year.
I am in support of House Bill Number 49. This Bill
will provide a solid base to prepare parents and their
children for when their children enter school. Many
parents when they have children ages zero to 4-years,
do not know what sort of activities that they can
engage in with their children that will promote
positive cognitive development. Parents as Teachers
does that.
It is important that early childhood programs
implemented in Alaska follow the guidelines of the
National Association for the Education of Young
Children. I firmly believe that evidence-based, non-
mandatory, parent engaging efforts that meet high
standards are the marks of good pre-Kindergarten
programs and will meet the need of Alaska's children.
There is no one single solution to preschool needs.
Our state is varied and the needs of students and
families are very different. However, one fact is
certain, and that is that the Parents as Teachers
Program is a solid pre-school offering that can make a
substantial difference in a child's life.
Let me give a concrete example. In 2003, Northwest
Arctic was awarded a federal grant to implement a
Parents as Teachers type program. We called our
program, Getting Ready to Learn. As funds were
limited, we strategically operated it in 5 of our
lowest performing village schools. One of the program
goals was to assure parents that they are their
child's first teacher: "As your child's first teacher
you need to provide one-on-one interaction between
your child and yourself to develop the brain and
language skills to build the best foundation for
future learning."
Four major skill areas were emphasized: language and
literacy skills, thinking skills, self-control and
self-confidence for parents and their children. The
teachers worked to foster trust and communication and
to provide activities which enhance attachment,
engagement, investment and enjoyment of the child by
the parents. Playgroups were established and home
visits were made.
The homes in these five villages were primarily print
free environments. So, family literacy programs were
formed in each village. The purpose of those were to
encourage families to read together at home by
providing them with quality age appropriate books and
simple activities that promoted family interactions.
Our federal funding ran out in 2006 and we had to
close the Getting Ready to Learn Program. This was a
great shame. By the legislature passing this bill,
the opportunity we had that brought so many of our
children to success as students will be able to be
offered to Alaska's neediest families. We would hope
to be able to re-implement our program.
Over the past 7 years, there have been many things
that we have put into place in our district to
contribute to improving student academic achievement.
We have implemented quality programs, quality teacher
training, and we require strict adherence by all
teachers to do what is best for children at all times.
What did we find in our test scores that, I believe,
were directly affected by the Getting Ready to Learn
Program and through our overall quality schools
efforts?
Overall student achievement based on the Standards
Based Assessments taken by our students in grades 3
through 10 increased as follows: In 2003, 36% of our
students were proficient in language arts, by 2008
that percentage had risen to 51%. During the same
time frame on the same assessment, our math scores
have risen from 2003 with 32% of our students
proficient to 51% of our students being proficient in
2008.
It takes many puzzle pieces to construct the entire
picture of a successful education. Early childhood
education is essential, especially for our
underperforming students. Parents as Teachers is an
excellent step for our legislature to take toward
helping students to be academically successful.
WANDA WINGFIELD, Parents as Teachers, related her experience as
a Parents as Teachers educator. She pointed out that the
military families had lost this program due to budget cuts, and
she stressed the importance of the program.
9:42:19 AM
CYNTHIA BUCHANAN, Parents as Teachers, shared her experiences as
a Parents as Teachers educator and the connections that were
cultivated and the child development that was supported. She
said that the other services in the Copper River Basin were
minimal, and that Parents as Teachers was stretched. She stated
that it was a good investment of state dollars.
9:46:56 AM
LYNNE OSHEIM, Director, Parents as Teachers, stressing the need
for good well funded programs, said, "If it doesn't happen in
early childhood, it doesn't happen." She reported that PAT
partnered with Best Beginnings, Head Start, Denali KidCare and
other applicable local organizations. She recounted that PAT
offered information, support, and early intervention for young
families. She directed attention to the difference that PAT had
made in Hoonah, which was evident by the outcomes: AYP was
being met, graduation rates were up, and participating students
had attained consistent honor role status. She declared how
difficult it was for a child to ever catch up when they start
behind in kindergarten. She offered her belief that it was far
more effective to spend money on early childhood programs.
9:53:11 AM
ABBE HENSLEY, Executive Director, Best Beginnings, stated that
the "Best Beginnings vision is to mobilize people and other
resources to ensure that all Alaska children begin school ready
to succeed." She extolled the value of home visitation
programs. She offered to speak from a different perspective,
and referred to the handout titled: "Investing in Alaska's
Young Children." [Included in members' packets] She shared
that this handout listed the legislative priorities as
determined by a coalition of early childhood experts and leading
organizations across Alaska. She pointed to the local
partnerships' work and assessments of the needs in the
communities. This established a joint effort to maximize the
resources, the time, and the energy, and she provided examples.
She stated that there was not one program that met everyone's
needs, but that the layering of programs created a comprehensive
package.
9:59:34 AM
REPRESENTATIVE CISSNA, stating the importance for the inclusion
of health into the program, asked if that was a possibility.
MS. HENSLEY offered to have a future conversation.
CHAIR DICK announced that public testimony would remain open.
[HB 49 was held over.]
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| HB 49 PAT Value to Military.pdf |
HEDC 3/11/2011 9:00:00 AM |
HB 49 |
| HB 49 PAT Support Summary.pdf |
HEDC 3/11/2011 9:00:00 AM |
HB 49 |
| HB 49 Sectional.pdf |
HEDC 3/11/2011 9:00:00 AM |
HB 49 |
| HB 49 Sponsor Statement.pdf |
HEDC 3/11/2011 9:00:00 AM |
HB 49 |
| PAT HB49 PowerPoint.ppt |
HEDC 3/11/2011 9:00:00 AM |
HB 49 |
| HB 49 Fact_Sheet_-_school_readiness-2-2011.pdf |
HEDC 3/11/2011 9:00:00 AM |
HB 49 |
| HB 49 School Readiness and Achievement Improvements - Summary Ziegler Study.pdf |
HEDC 3/11/2011 9:00:00 AM |
HB 49 |
| HB 49 Factsheet - What is Parents as Teachers.pdf |
HEDC 3/11/2011 9:00:00 AM |
HB 49 |
| HB 49 Fiscal Note.pdf |
HEDC 3/11/2011 9:00:00 AM |
HB 49 |
| HB 49 PAT State Office Fact Sheet 2010.pdf |
HEDC 3/11/2011 9:00:00 AM |
HB 49 |
| HB 49 PAT Support Summary from Previous Legislation - HB 69 (2).pdf |
HEDC 3/11/2011 9:00:00 AM |
HB 49 HB 69 |